Marjan Boerma, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Therapeutics Faculty Rank: Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Pharmacy Department: Pharmaceutical Science

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: No Specific Disease Site
• Research Focus Area: Prevention, Detection, Treatment
• Type of Research: Basic
• Research Interest Statement: With continuous improvements in detection and treatment of cancer, the number of cancer cures is increasing. However, cancer patients and survivors may suffer from side effects during and after the completion of cancer therapy. For instance, several chemotherapeutic agents are toxic to the heart, and cardiac toxicity is also reported in a subset of patients treated with thoracic radiation therapy. The overall objective of Dr. Boerma's research is to elucidate biological mechanisms by which cancer therapy causes cardiovascular injury and to identify potential countermeasures for intervention. We use pre-clinical research models that address cardiac side effects of radiation therapy, alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents. Cardiac function, tissue structure, and molecular alterations in response to radiation and chemotherapy are assessed.

Contact Information

• Email Address: MBOERMA@UAMS.EDU
• Profiles Research Networking Software: View Profile

Active Grants

• NIH/Nat. Inst. of Allergy & Infectious Diseases – 1U01AI170039
  “Platelets in radiation-induced immune dysregulation”
  Co-Investigator
  7/25/2022 – 5/31/2027
• NIH/Nat. Inst. of General Medical Sciences – 2P20GM109005
  “Center for Studies on Host Response to Cancer Therapy”
  Principal Investigator
  8/17/2020 – 5/31/2026
• NIH/Nat. Inst. of Allergy & Infectious Diseases – 1U01AI148308
  “Development of a minimally invasive biomarker assay to detect delayed radiation injury”
  Principal Investigator
  2/1/2020 – 1/31/2026
• National Aeronautics & Space Administration – 80NSSC19K0437 P00006
  “Tocotrienol as a countermeasure against high-energy charged particle-induced carcinogenesis, cardiovascular disease, and central nervous system effects- Resubmission”
  Principal Investigator
  1/31/2019 – 10/31/2025

Recent Publications

• Singh A, Bakhtyar M, Jun SR, [et al., including Boerma M]. A narrative review of metabolomics approaches in identifying biomarkers of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society. 2025 21(3):68. PMID: 40381141. PMCID: PMC12085340.
• Nemec-Bakk AS, Sridharan V, Willey JS, [et al., including Boerma M]. Sex-specific effects on the heart from combined exposure to simulated galactic cosmic radiation and hindlimb unloading. Life sciences in space research. 2025 44:38-46. PMID: 39864910. PMCID: PMC11770252.
• Clement K, Nemec-Bakk AS, Jun SR, [et al., including Boerma M]. Long-term effects of combined exposures to simulated microgravity and galactic cosmic radiation on the mouse lung: sex-specific epigenetic reprogramming. Radiation and environmental biophysics. 2025. PMID: 39841235.
• Li Y, Bansal S, Singh B, [et al., including Boerma M]. Distinct Urinary Metabolite Signatures Mirror In Vivo Oxidative Stress-Related Radiation Responses in Mice. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). 2024 14(1). PMID: 39857358. PMCID: PMC11763242.
• Sato AY, Cregor M, McAndrews K, [et al., including Boerma M]. Pharmacologic or genetic interference with atrogene signaling protects against glucocorticoid-induced musculoskeletal and cardiac disease. JCI insight. 2024 9(21). PMID: 39405125. PMCID: PMC11601705.
• Kozbenko T, Adam N, Grybas VS, [et al., including Boerma M]. AOP report: Development of an adverse outcome pathway for deposition of energy leading to abnormal vascular remodeling. Environmental and molecular mutagenesis. 2024 65 Suppl 3:4-30. PMID: 39440813.
• Shahror RA, Shosha E, Morris C, [et al., including Boerma M]. Deletion of myeloid HDAC3 promotes efferocytosis to ameliorate retinal ischemic injury. Journal of neuroinflammation. 2024 21(1):170. PMID: 38997746. PMCID: PMC11241909.
• Little MP, Boerma M, Bernier MO, [et al.]. Effects of confounding and effect-modifying lifestyle, environmental and medical factors on risk of radiation-associated cardiovascular disease. BMC public health. 2024 24(1):1601. PMID: 38879521. PMCID: PMC11179258.
• Bansal S, Li Y, Bansal S, [et al., including Boerma M]. Genetic Upregulation of Activated Protein C Mitigates Delayed Effects of Acute Radiation Exposure in the Mouse Plasma. Metabolites. 2024 14(5). PMID: 38786722. PMCID: PMC11122730.
• Afshari N, Koturbash I, Boerma M, [et al.]. A Review of Numerical Models of Radiation Injury and Repair Considering Subcellular Targets and the Extracellular Microenvironment. International journal of molecular sciences. 2024 25(2). PMID: 38256089. PMCID: PMC10816679.
• Landes RD, Li C, Sridharan V, [et al., including Boerma M]. A pooled analysis of nine studies in one institution to assess effects of whole heart irradiation in rat models. International journal of radiation biology. 2023:1-9. PMID: 37603396. PMCID: PMC10843572.
• Nemec-Bakk AS, Sridharan V, Seawright JW, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of proton and oxygen ion irradiation on cardiovascular function and structure in a rabbit model. Life sciences in space research. 2023 37:78-87. PMID: 37087182. PMCID: PMC10122719.
• Gawali B, Sridharan V, Krager KJ, [et al., including Boerma M]. TLR4-A Pertinent Player in Radiation-Induced Heart Disease?. Genes. 2023 14(5). PMID: 37239362. PMCID: PMC10218711.
• Li Y, Bansal S, Sridharan V, [et al., including Boerma M]. Urinary Metabolomics for the Prediction of Radiation-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction. Metabolites. 2023 13(4). PMID: 37110184. PMCID: PMC10146652.
• Nemec-Bakk AS, Sridharan V, Desai P, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of Simulated 5-Ion Galactic Cosmic Radiation on Function and Structure of the Mouse Heart. Life (Basel, Switzerland). 2023 13(3). PMID: 36983950. PMCID: PMC10057791.
• Bansal S, Bansal S, Fish BL, [et al., including Boerma M]. Analysis of the urinary metabolic profiles in irradiated rats treated with Activated Protein C (APC), a potential mitigator of radiation toxicity. International journal of radiation biology. 2023:1-10. PMID: 36827630. PMCID: PMC10330346.
• Sridharan V, Krager KJ, Pawar SA, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of Whole and Partial Heart Irradiation on Collagen, Mast Cells, and Toll-like Receptor 4 in the Mouse Heart. Cancers. 2023 15(2). PMID: 36672353. PMCID: PMC9856613.
• Liu S, Wu J, Stolarz A, [et al., including Boerma M]. PCSK9 attenuates efferocytosis in endothelial cells and promotes vascular aging. Theranostics. 2023 13(9):2914-2929. PMID: 37284459. PMCID: PMC10240829.
• Ewing LE, Pathak R, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Cytogenetic and epigenetic aberrations in peripheral lymphocytes of northwest Arkansas Marshallese. International journal of radiation biology. 2022:1-12. PMID: 35939319. PMCID: PMC9929030.
• Hinzman CP, Jayatilake M, Bansal S, [et al., including Boerma M]. An optimized method for the isolation of urinary extracellular vesicles for molecular phenotyping: detection of biomarkers for radiation exposure. Journal of translational medicine. 2022 20(1):199. PMID: 35538547. PMCID: PMC9092707.
• Yom SS, Deville C Jr, Boerma M, [et al.]. Evaluating the Generalizability and Reproducibility of Scientific Research. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2022 113(1):1-4. PMID: 35427541. PMCID: PMC10862357.
• Nemec-Bakk AS, Sridharan V, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of low-dose oxygen ions on cardiac function and structure in female C57BL/6J mice. Life sciences in space research. 2022 32:105-112. PMID: 35065756. PMCID: PMC8803400.
• Townsend D, Kiser JW, Boerma M, [et al.]. A Request for Scientific Accountability in Public Statements. Health physics. 2022. PMID: 35085115.
• Boerma M, Azimzadeh O, Pasinetti N, Monceau V. Editorial: Cardiotoxicity induced by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy after cancer treatment. Frontiers in oncology. 2022 12:1087928. PMID: 36483033. PMCID: PMC9723441.
• Thirumal R, Vanchiere C, Bhandari R, [et al., including Boerma M]. The Inverse Correlation Between the Duration of Lifetime Occupational Radiation Exposure and the Prevalence of Atrial Arrhythmia. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine. 2022 9:863939. PMID: 35711353. PMCID: PMC9196104.
• Boerma M, Sridharan V, Krager KJ, Pawar SA. Small animal models of localized heart irradiation. Methods in cell biology. 2022 168:221-234. PMID: 35366984. PMCID: PMC9642084.
• Corken A, Ghosh SP, Du R, [et al., including Boerma M]. Platelet glycoprotein Ibα provides radiation protection. Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. 2021 167:143-148. PMID: 34971661. PMCID: PMC8934272.
• Brown JM, Freeman ML, Marples B, Boerma M. Reflections of the Senior Editors for Biology. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2021 111(5):1118-1119. PMID: 34793735.
• Dina Zita M, Phillips MB, Stuart JD, [et al., including Boerma M]. The M2 Gene Is a Determinant of Reovirus-Induced Myocarditis. Journal of virology. 2021:JVI0187921. PMID: 34757847. PMCID: PMC8791294.
• Park SS, Boerma M. Hypofractionated Irradiation and Immune Modulation Therapies: Let's Work Together!. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2021 111(3):589-591. PMID: 34560018.
• Nemec-Bakk AS, Sridharan V, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Mitigation of late cardiovascular effects of oxygen ion radiation by γ-tocotrienol in a mouse model. Life sciences in space research. 2021 31:43-50. PMID: 34689949. PMCID: PMC8548672.
• Jun SR, Boerma M, Udaondo Z, [et al.]. Plasma Metabolomics in a Nonhuman Primate Model of Abdominal Radiation Exposure. Metabolites. 2021 11(8). PMID: 34436481. PMCID: PMC8398377.
• Yarlagadda L, Boerma M, Gundarlapalli S, [et al.]. Salvage Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Daratumumab-Refractory Multiple Myeloma. Cancers. 2021 13(16). PMID: 34439174. PMCID: PMC8392190.
• Boerma M, Davis CM, Jackson IL, [et al.]. All for one, though not one for all: team players in normal tissue radiobiology. International journal of radiation biology. 2021:1-21. PMID: 34129427. PMCID: PMC8781287.
• Swinton C, Kiffer F, McElroy T, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of (16)O charged-particle irradiation on cognition, hippocampal morphology and mutagenesis in female mice. Behavioural brain research. 2021 407:113257. PMID: 33794227.
• Brown T, Boerma M, McElroy T, [et al.]. Cognitive impairment resulting from treatment with docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Brain research. 2021 1760:147397. PMID: 33705788. PMCID: PMC9179831.
• Wang J, Garg S, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Differential Recovery of Small Intestinal Segments after Partial-Body Irradiation in Non-Human Primates. Radiation research. 2021. PMID: 34043805. PMCID: PMC8440418.
• Schinke CD, Boerma M, Bird JT, [et al.]. PHF19 inhibition as a therapeutic target in multiple myeloma. Current research in translational medicine. 2021 69(3):103290. PMID: 33894670. PMCID: PMC8316274.
• Hritzo B, Aghdam SY, Legesse B, [et al., including Boerma M]. Late Health Effects of Partial Body Irradiation Injury in a Minipig Model Are Associated with Changes in Systemic and Cardiac IGF-1 Signaling. International journal of molecular sciences. 2021 22(6). PMID: 33807089. PMCID: PMC8005067.
• Sadhukhan R, Majumdar D, Garg S, [et al., including Boerma M]. Simultaneous exposure to chronic irradiation and simulated microgravity differentially alters immune cell phenotype in mouse thymus and spleen. Life sciences in space research. 2021 28:66-73. PMID: 33612181. PMCID: PMC7900614.
• Apte N, Dherange P, Mustafa U, [et al., including Boerma M]. Cancer Radiation Therapy May Be Associated With Atrial Fibrillation. Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine. 2021 8:610915. PMID: 33553271. PMCID: PMC7862558.
• Boerma M, Koturbash I. Manned space travel: from a race between nations to a race against the environmental stressors beyond earth. Journal of environmental science and health. Part C, Toxicology and carcinogenesis. 2021 39(2):109-112. PMID: 33902390.
• Sridharan V, Johnson KA, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Sex-dependent effects of genetic upregulation of activated protein C on delayed effects of acute radiation exposure in the mouse heart, small intestine, and skin. PloS one. 2021 16(5):e0252142. PMID: 34029348. PMCID: PMC8143413.
• Bose C, Alves I, Singh P, [et al., including Boerma M]. Sulforaphane prevents age-associated cardiac and muscular dysfunction through Nrf2 signaling. Aging cell. 2020 19(11):e13261. PMID: 33067900. PMCID: PMC7681049.
• Koss B, Boerma M, Shields BD, [et al.]. Epigenetic Control of Cdkn2a.Arf Protects Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes from Metabolic Exhaustion. Cancer research. 2020. PMID: 33004350. PMCID: PMC7642172.
• Jun SR, Cheema A, Bose C, [et al., including Boerma M]. Multi-Omic Analysis Reveals Different Effects of Sulforaphane on the Microbiome and Metabolome in Old Compared to Young Mice. Microorganisms. 2020 8(10). PMID: 33003447. PMCID: PMC7599699.
• Ewing LE, Skinner CM, Pathak R, [et al., including Boerma M]. Dietary Methionine Supplementation Exacerbates Gastrointestinal Toxicity in a Mouse Model of Abdominal Irradiation. International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics. 2020. PMID: 33002540. PMCID: PMC7855316.
• Mao XW, Nishiyama NC, Byrum SD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Spaceflight induces oxidative damage to blood-brain barrier integrity in a mouse model. FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 2020. PMID: 32981077. PMCID: PMC8191453.
• Sridharan V, Seawright JW, Landes RD, [et al., including Boerma M]. Effects of single-dose protons or oxygen ions on function and structure of the cardiovascular system in male Long Evans rats. Life sciences in space research. 2020 26:62-68. PMID: 32718688. PMCID: PMC7387753.